'I have come back to television like a newcomer and I am nervous'

Subject: 'I have come back to television like a newcomer and I am nervous' Wed Apr 15, 2015 3:02 am

'I have come back to television like a newcomer and I am nervous'

April 13, 2015 16:30 IST

'I have been in the industry for some time now and I understand the pressure as an actor, as well as the pressure a journalist goes though,' Rajeev Khandelwal tells Rajul Hegde.

Rajeev Khandelwal's telly comeback recently went viral.It wasn't because we missed the Kahin To Hoga star (well, of course, we did!) but because the promos of his new show Reporters saw him kiss actress Kritika Kamra and her slapping him for it.The actor discusses his new show with Rediff.com contributor Rajul Hegde.

What’s been the response to the Reporters promos, especially the one where you kiss co-star Kritika Kamra and she slaps you?It is mind-blowing -- 200 per cent more than we expected!The idea was to highlight the slap, not the kiss.When I heard the promo idea, I instantly knew it was bang on because it had the right attitude and tone.

Is there a clash between news and ethics?If you have to deliver news, you have to ignore ethics at times to put your point across. This is what Kabir (the character he plays in the serial) does.As Rajeev, I respect ethics. I have been in the industry for some time now and I understand the pressure as an actor, as well as the pressure a journalist goes though.I think there has to be a balance of both.

How do you think television has changed?I have come back to television like a newcomer and I am nervous. In terms of pressure, not much has changed. You keep reinventing yourself every week.

Who is your favourite television journalist?I think Ravish Kumar (NDTV) is nice. He does it very subtly.I watched him present the news of the land bill. He was walking with the farmers, having a conversation but you could see the real pulse of the farmers. He put his point across beautifully, without screaming or being dramatic.And we all love Radjeep Sardesai; he is fantastic.I like Dr Prannoy Roy a lot because when he talks, there is gravity.

As an actor, did you ever try to stop your personal news coming out in the media?When I was dating Manjiri (his wife now), someone was putting up a story with her picture.Since I had already admitted that I was dating someone, I requested the editor not to carry the news with her picture as our families would not be comfortable since they are not from the industry.The editor said it has come out already through Facebook and if he doesn’t use it, someone else would.I had to call up my parents and prepare them before it came out.

Subject: Re: 'I have come back to television like a newcomer and I am nervous' Wed Apr 15, 2015 6:42 pm

Reminds me of a statement once said by SRK on KWK wherein he said that this is the life he as an actor has chosen for himself. So all this media stories be it positive or negative is all part of his life. I so agree with what he says. Coming to this story so i feel this whole promo was less of a promo and more of a cheap publicity stunt. Wish the channel had come with some other creative idea for the first promo of the show. Rest love Rajeev for doing this show. He is doing very well and the show will get all the attention in coming weeks.